It’s A New Year and A Time To Get Back to Enjoying Life

     I started this post last year and never had time to finish and post it.  So here I am almost a week later and finally sitting down to finish writing this post.  

     As I sit here thinking about my goals for 2019, I keep looking back at the past and what occurred in 2018.  We each have rocking road and for some of, we know that the holidays are hard.  I think that the struggles of the last few years have me holding my head up and looking forward to 2019 just a little more.   

     Then I think of all I accomplished in 2018 and all I didn’t have a chance to do.  I finished school.  My baby graduated and my oldest bought a house.  The great accomplishments, make all the downfalls better and prepare us for the challenges and enjoyment ahead! 

     In 2019,  I am not just setting goals on here for my crafting and quilting life, I am setting goals for my marriage and spiritual life.   Next year, even with my work schedule,  I need to get back into church full time.  This ensuring I put God first and my daily life second. 

     With our boys growing up and leaving the nest, I know this is going to be another challenging time.  Added to the nightmare remodel that’s about to occur at my house.  My marriage will need a lot of work, praying God will lead us in the right direction.  

     I decided that I have one change in my life that I really need to work on, my house.  With the changes that will be occurring in it in the next year, I need to keep it cleaner and more organized.  So my resolution  for 2019, is to spend more time working on my house everyday! P

     Now,  to my aspirations of 2019!!! I have sooo many desires that it’s hard to set logical and realistic Goals! So hear are the ones I know I can attain! 

-Finish all the challenges of project quilt

-Make at least one wreath monthly

-Start no new quilts outside of project quilt without finishing one old one. 

-Make at least 6 scrap quilts this year. 

-Make at least 1 sign a month! 

-Paint my closet dressing table and finish the collage wall. 

-finish redoing Wades old Room to a comfortable guest room. 

Seems like a lot, but I am hoping to attain it!! Praying for a great year!!! 

100% Scrap Quilt

   

     A few years ago I fell in love with scrap quilting, mostly because I hate waste.  My issue though was my obsession with making things match.  As I have progressed in the world of quilting, the ability to let go in scrap quilts and allow them to form has become easier.  I have had to learn to separate my quilting into two forms, the beautiful matching blended creation and the random scrap quilt.   Since one of my goals AGAIN this year is to use up my ever building pile of scraps, the
Project Quilting Challenge fits me well.

     When I saw the challenge this week, I went thru my Pinterest Boards looking for a project I
could finish in a week.  I came across a blog called Heather Hales Designs where she change up a quilt called “Potluck” designed by Orange You Glad by adding another row of white.  I loved how the extra row made the diamond center really stand out.  I do though think I may make the original one day soon with more scraps.  So to pulling scraps and cutting I went.

     I decided to use the smaller scraps I had of fabric with designs. These pieces were of varied
shapes and sizes from several projects, along with some that were given to me. It took most of one of my days off, but all the 3.5 inch squares were cut out of scraps.  The White ones took forever and
ever I felt like.  I have been using the same bolt of white on white fabric for at least 3 years and was able to make them all out of the same fabric and still have plenty left…….

     The next step was laying them out. This took forever and ever but it looked good in the end.  Yes, a very random unmatched quilt. Then the sewing of the never ending rows commenced.  I actually felt like this bored me a bit.  Kinda an odd feeling, but maybe because I love the reward of finishing blocks and no reward came until the end of this quilt.  It’s not as stunning as a quilt made out of coordinating fabric, but it sure is a “Potluck” of a mix. 

     The backing is pieced out of bigger pieces out of my scrap bin. Yep, thinning the pile, but
you can barely tell. Actually my first back ever this scrappy.  To top it off I even pieced the batting,
helping to make this quilt 100% scrappy.

      I free motion
quilted the quilted it in a hurry.  My
regret, because it does not look as good as it should, but it is done.  And a little bunchy in the back.  I hate this. My goal for trying to do better
next time.  Then a finish with scrap
binding left over from other quilts.
Yep, totally scraptastic! 

     The quilt
finished at 63 x 57.  Big enough for the
scrap challenge also.  Really a big
project that did not take too ng to make after the cutting.  Have a few people that I need to send a quilt
to.  Maybe one of them can be blessed
with this!

A Mixed Up Stitch in Time

   

     My weeks started with an entirely different project.  One that was full of pure scraps that take forever to cut. So, with a sudden limited time, I decide to put a stitch in to some shirt sleeve scraps that have been around for a long time. My husbands grandfather wore these shirts for over 20 years.  Yep, a long time.  I saw these little envelopes that would be perfect for chapstick or money.  Something I can

Mini Pinwheel Runner

     I started this weeks Project Quilting challenge thinking about yellow.  As a young child, it once was one of my favorite colors.  Now it’s honestly one that I rarely use. 

     

     I went into my sewing room and took a hard look at my fabric cabinet.  I was lost at what to make and what to use.  My eyes wondered to the fabric yardage leftovers that used in last years Carolina Lily challenge.  I remembered I had a bag of matching scraps in my cabinet.  Going thru the bag I found a pile of triangles. 

     

     Finding the triangles started me sewing them into half square triangles.  They ended up squaring up to be 1 inch squares.  It then flowed into me trying out lots of layouts, all using more scraps.  It ended up looking best as a pinwheel layout with each pinwheel being a little 2 inch finished square! 

    

     The commencement to adding yellow in was easy with precut yellow strips that put the perfect inner boarder on my runner. I auditioned all the fabric and the peach fabric with yellow flowers looked the best! I added a nice wide outer boarder. 

    

     I backed it with plain yellow fabric to go with the theme.  I used yellow thread to do basic straight line  quilting on the runner. I was going to do an intricate pattern but instead opted for simplicity to complement the simple small blocks. 

     The binding was then done in a complementary yellow floral fabric, another scrap that ended up being just enough!! It finished out at 14x22. The perfect little spring runner! 

     I try so hard to make full sized quilts, but with the hours I’ve been working and school, it’s just not happening.  It is pleasant to make something for myself, since I really don’t ever do that!! 

Out of my box

So I was bold and brave this challenge and learned to make a jacket.  Not perfect, but done!  It's made with a very soft flannel made for quilting,  I made it a little big to allow for shrinkage.  The jacket is not completely 3 layers everywhere so I decide to make a quilted flower to ensure an accurate qualifying finish for this project quilting challenge!

     

     I started this project with no plan besides using my triangle ruler.  I went in my sewing room and looked directly at my overflowing scrap bin.  I knew then, it had to be made out of those.  Yep, I need to get rid of fabric and declutter. I am having some organizing issues!! 

     I started pulling out fabric and saw a bunch of florals.  Anything from modern to vintage.  Some I bought and some that was given to me.  The perfect fabrics to use in a scrap quilt together.  I decided to mix them with some white.

     When I started, I did not know who I was going to give this too.  After spending some of the first day cutting 8 inch triangles from scraps, I found out a friend that has always treated me as family had breast cancer.  She’s tall, so I cut more triangles.  Making the quilt finish at 72 x 72 inches.  This used up most of my larger floral scraps.  

     I sewed together the triangles randomly, then the rows randomly.  This is always a hard thing for me to do, but usually the quilts turn out awesome. 

     I sandwiched the quilt using some vintage fabric backing with a small scrap added on to make it wide enough.  The quilting is done with free motion quilting of loops in the triangles.  I think I have actually almost perfected this FMQ design!

     The binding I used was made out of some more scrap floral from the quilt.  Machine sewed for this challenge of course. 

     Finished on Saturday, but work was calling.  No time for writing or photography.  

Ollie's Quilt

   Its been a long time since I have blogged.  School has taken over my life and honestly I haven't had too much time to write, much less craft.  Nine more weeks of school and I am hoping to have that time again. Project Quilting though is making me blog and quilt.
 

     The first project of the year is one I needed to get to anyway!  Just happens the first day of Project Quilting, My dear friend Wendy from High School delivered her first son, Oliver Benjamin Christmas!  I have been eyeing fabric for a while and had a pattern to go with it.  Well the pattern is unable to be located and I wasn't completely going with it anyway.  Yep, like most quilts, I don't fully go with the pattern and was planning to go in a different direction already.

     Since the theme of this challenge is "Hometown Proud", making a quilt for my hometown friend was just what I wanted!  I was born in San Diego, California and have lived in many places.  My current hometown though is Russellville, SC.  No real stores or even a light.  Just an awesome boat landing and post office are left.


     The fabric though matches the area.  The colors match the rural woods setting that is right on our local Lake Moultrie.  The biggest activities in the area are hunting and fishing (both things I love).  This is highlighted by the little deer prints on the tone on tone fabric. So the fabric collection just added to making it perfect for the hometown theme.  Its a Bella Collection pack from Pineapple Fabric Company.

     The block in the original pattern I was using for inspiration was the Shoofly block.  I almost changed this, but that hometown theme fell in mind again.  Being right off the lake and in a swampy area, the flies, may flies and mosquitoes are really bad. So I decided to go with the Shoo Fly block and add an extra name block!


     The blocks went together pretty quickly and I enjoyed embroidering my first ever name block!!

     I did a sashing around the blocks that matched my original theme quilt, using the precut strips and blocks in the fabric pack.  I wanted to do a multiple borders, but I just couldn't find multiple in the fabric selection I liked.  So I did only one.

     I couldn't decide how to quilt it.  As a boys quilt and the fact that I liked the basic lines of it, I did some straight line quilting.

     I did some extra lines around his name to stabilize the big blocks.

     Then I added some binding to match the center fabric and I was done!!!!

     Now to get ahead with my schoolwork so I am ready for next weeks project quilt!  Oh and photos are of the last day of our snow  In my 25 years plus in SC, I have never seen snow stay on the ground for 7 days!